What to watch for today at spring training:
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TIME TO PLAY
It's opening day for the exhibition season, with the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the University of Tampa in the only game of the day. Paul Clemens starts for the Phils — he pitched...

JUPITER, Fla. After experiencing a pinch in his lower abdomen and later discomfort when moving on the field, Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright did what so many in his position with an Internet connection would.
He started surfing the web for injuries....

Adam Wainwright won't pitch in exhibition games until mid-March because of his abdominal strain, a delay that could prevent the St. Louis Cardinals ace from starting the major league season opener at the Chicago Cubs on April 5.'
Wainwright was hurt...

JUPITER, Fla. The Cardinals received good news Thursday afternoon concerning ace right-hander Adam Wainwright, who had returned to St. Louis to be examined by a specialist to determine the severity of his abdominal discomfort. General manager John...

Adam Wainwright has been diagnosed with an abdominal strain but the St. Louis ace could be available to pitch the Cardinals' opener at Wrigley Field on April 5.
Wainwright strained the muscle on Monday while putting a 45-pound weight back on a rack. General manager John Mozeliak said Thursday the strain is about belt high.
"Based on all the different studies and what the doctor saw he feels this was the best news we could have gotten," Mozeliak said.
Wainwright said the pain originally felt like a...

JUPITER, Fla. After experiencing abdominal pain that has limited his workouts but not his ability to throw, Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright will return to St. Louis to see a specialist Thursday.
The Cardinals expect to know Thursday the treatment Wainwright will require and how much time he'll miss.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak confirmed the team's plan for the pitcher to the Post-Dispatch when asked about Wainwright's absence from workouts Tuesday. He described the team's wish to have...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Those darn kids have done it again.
Besides being on our lawns all the time, they now are forcing baseball to change the game to fit their 21st century attention spans.
The rule changes implemented Friday to speed up the pace of the game sparked heated debate in spring training clubhouses in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues, where pitchers and catchers reported to start the season.
In the White Sox clubhouse, center fielder Adam Eaton argued for the status quo, saying...

JUPITER, Fla. Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward has an arm to limber, a swing to synchronize and cleats to work in, but he relocated his workouts late last week to his new home for all those reasons and one more.
He had an itch that only camp could scratch.
"Come down, get familiarized, and enjoy being a gym rat so to speak," Heyward said Thursday, sitting in front of a locker he'll occupy for the next seven weeks. "You've got that itch. Once you get to month 2 1/2 of the offseason, it becomes the...

Hundreds of front-office executives, managers, coaches and scouts will descend upon San Diego this week for Major League Baseball's annual winter meetings, all with the singular purpose of molding their teams into World Series contenders.
But what does a championship-caliber club look like? Most people would list a strong rotation that consistently pitches deep into games, a versatile and reliable bullpen, a lineup that scores enough to support its pitching and a solid defense as key ingredients....

Somebody good finally took the Cubs’ money.
Anibal Sanchez didn’t, and the Cubs got stuck with Edwin Jackson.
Masahiro Tanaka didn’t, and the Cubs were starting to look like chumps whose purpose was only to drive up the price for good players to get more money from better teams.
It was looking like Theo Epstein and his band of middle-aged wonders had put together a team that couldn’t play, but was there only to get played.
But then somebody good finally took the Cubs’...